95% drop in foreign travelers since quarantine
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the number of international passengers who arrived to and departed from the country since the start of the community quarantine dropped by 95 percent compared to the same period last year.
We do not foresee these statistics to rise in the near future while the entire world is still fighting to defeat this coronavirus.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the volume of passenger arrivals from 16 March to 30 June declined by more than 96 percent, while departure volume decreased by 95 percent vis-a-vis their numbers a year ago.
Morente attributed the sharp drop in passenger statistics to the suspension of international flights by different airlines, in addition to the imposition of travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We do not foresee these statistics to rise in the near future while the entire world is still fighting to defeat this coronavirus,” the BI chief added.
Nonetheless, he assured officers who are manning the country’s ports will continue to be vigilant in thwarting the entry of unwanted aliens and in combatting human trafficking.
Melvin Mabulac, BI deputy spokesman and BI National Operations Center acting chief, disclosed that only 189,000 passengers arrived from 16 March to 30 June, which is a far cry to the more than 5.16 million passengers who arrived in the same period in 2019.
He also said that only 238,000 passengers left the country during the period compared to the 5.18 million who departed in the same time last year.
Mabulac explained the bulk of passengers arrived at and departed from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport since all other international ports were closed during the lockdown.
He said it was only in June that the government allowed international flights to resume at the Clark and Mactan airports.
“Also included in these figures are the more than 16,000 seafarers who disembarked after being quarantined aboard their vessels anchored at Manila Bay,” he added.